CONWAY, Ark. – Led by senior third baseman Katelyn Gola, Southwestern University earned the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Championship after defeating Millsaps College, 3-2 and 8-5, in the conference championship game. In just their second season of existence, it was the first SCAC softball title for the Pirates’ program.

For her efforts, Gola was an unanimous selection to the 2010 SCAC all-tournament squad – one of only two student-athletes to appear on all six ballots. In the two championship elimination games, Gola scored two runs including the tying run in the bottom of the seventh in game one and added an RBI.

Gola led the Pirates over the weekend – hitting .400 while going 10-for-25 from the plate with six runs scored and driving in five others. A Taylor, Texas native, she finished the tournament with a .440 slugging percentage, two stolen bases and 19 assists from her defensive position at third. The senior, who was named to her second straight all-tournament team, led all players this weekend in hits (10), runs scored (6) and was second in RBIs (5).

Kasey Thibodeaux, a senior pitcher from Millsaps College, was the only other unanimous selection to the 2010 all-tournament squad. By being selected to this year’s squad, Thibodeaux becomes just the eighth player in league history to be named to three SCAC all-tournament teams. Thibodeaux went 2-1 during the tournament, striking out 13 batters while posting an ERA of 0.68. Batters who faced Thibodeaux hit just .179 against the right-hander in 20.2 innings of work as she gave up just two earned runs all weekend.

Thibodeaux joins Maggie Blackburn of Centre (05, 07-08), Rachel Gill of DePauw (07-09), Robin Rockco of Millsaps (02-04), Amy Owensby of Sewanee (02-04) and Shannon George (99-00, 02), Kyle Schumacher (99-01) and Erin Mulvey (05-07) – all of Trinity – as the only three-time SCAC all-tournament members.

Emma Minx and Brianne Weeks of DePauw University and Karen McPherson of Trinity University were all named to their second straight SCAC All-Tournament Team.

Southwestern and Millsaps led the way with four selections each to the 2010 SCAC All-Tournament Team while DePauw had three honorees and Trinity had two. Centre had one selection to the team.

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